Tagged Out

In the past few months, there’s been a steady increase in graffiti along Lake City’s business core. The empty storefronts and vandalism are contributing to a sense of urban decline in the area.

Though the damage takes different forms [spray painting, acid-etching, scratching], the end result is always the same: A loss in time, energy and dollars for those cleaning up after it.

With grant money from the city, the business district was able to stay on top of vandalism through a graffiti clean up/maintenance program. But the program was discontinued when the money ran out. It’s now up to the individual business owners to clean up the mess.

Seattle Police say that these vandals are not gang bangers. They’re ordinary teens looking for an adrenaline fix.

The only way to stay on top of this mess is to keep painting over the tags. Eventually the taggers will give up and go somewhere else.

According to the law, private property owners are required to clean up graffiti or face a fine. The city is responsible for cleaning up graffiti on public property through the Graffiti Rangers program.

While the easiest remedy is to paint out graffiti, citizen involvement is key to controlling it. The police recommend reporting graffiti in progress and encouraging residents to take responsibility for their neighborhood through community meetings, block watches and paint- outs [the city provides free paint].